The present invention relates to a sheltering apparatus employed in the pit face of coal mine and, more particularly, to a sheltering apparatus attached to a self-advancing support particularly employed in the long-wall face of a coal mine and intended to repel floating dust and falling dusty materials from around the operators who operate inside the supports the ranging drum shearer and the self-advancing supports.
The mining method of long-wall type comprises causing the ranging drum shearer with its rotary blades to reciprocate on a rail arranged along the long-wall face and to shift toward the face according to the mining progress. The self-advancing supports have been also used to support the roof at the face. During the mining process air is blown from either side of the entry roadways into the face to clear the air of floating dust or the like. Considering their health and security, it is desirable for the operators to watch and operate the shearer and the supports always from the windward. However, the operators can not always keep themselves protected from floating dust and falling dusty materials due to the functional limitation of the shearer and the consideration of mining efficiency. When every support or every group of supports continuously arranged along the face so as to support the roof of the face is progressively shifted toward the face according to the travel of the shearer, it may happen that dust and dusty materials fall through between the supports, particularly when the roof of the face is inclined to fall.